Strengths and Weaknesses
by yougotnothingonme
Summary: Sophie Braxton has built a life for herself in Summer Bay. She has a home, a husband, a job. She likes her life now. But, with the arrival of her brothers, things start to head south very quickly.


**Summary: **_Sophie Braxton has built a life for herself in Summer Bay. She has a home, a husband, a job. She likes her life now. But, with the arrival of her brothers, things start to head south very quickly. _

**Disclaimer: All rights are reserved for the Seven Network. I do not own Home and Away. If I did, the Braxton brothers would be on life long contracts along with Dr. Nate. **

* * *

**Chapter One**

Sophie and Blake were still very much in the honeymoon phase; Angelo hated it.

They had gone on holiday a month ago and came back married. They called it a romantic whim, saying they were love and wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Nobody could believe it, even know they knew Sophie and Blake were the perfect combination. They had been dating for two years. Sophie Braxton was nineteen and had just moved to Summer Bay after a stay in the city. Blake Delaney was twenty one and just starting his first official year as a police officer. They hit it off immediately and now they're married.

Giggles filled the house as Blake tickled his wife. He wore his blue police uniform loosely over his body, the bottoms still undone. Rigorous police training has earned him a hard set of abs that peeked out between the buttons. Sophie turned around and kissed her husband passionately. He leaned over her body, pushing her up against the kitchen work space. They had completely all over each other since their elopement. Angelo, the owner of the house and their housemate, hated it. Sophie joked that it was only because he couldn't find a woman to put up with him. They agreed to ease up on the PDA when he was at home. But, this morning, he wasn't. So Sophie and Blake were free to do as they wished.

"Sex on in the kitchen?" Sophie whispered, holding his face close to her. He had just lifted her slim body up onto the counter with easy. She wrapped her long legs around his waste. They were exposed in a pair of athletic shorts. Sophie was hitting the gym before starting her shift at work. "That's a first." They leaned in to kiss each other again, but the door to the house opened and quickly slammed. They pulled away from each other quickly. Sophie looked out into the living room where Angelo was ruffling through a pile of papers. Blake turned away to do up his shirt buttons.

"What is it?" Angelo repeated. Sophie jumped down off the counter and walked towards her roommate and boss.

"You're home late," Sophie said. "Did you get lucky at singles night?" Last night was the promotional 'Single's Night' at Angelo's. Sophie decided to book that night off. She didn't want a bunch of men flirting away with her all night.

"Quite the opposite actually," Angelo said, looking up at her from his seat on the couch. "I spent the night at Yabbie Creek Police Station."

"What?" Sophie asked, not even a little shocked. A whole lot of shocked. "Why? What happened?"

"The River Boys," Sophie's eyebrows shot up.

"The River Boys?" Blake asked, entering into the conversation. He was all dressed and ready to go to work. "The surfing gang from Mangrove River?"

"Yeah, they turned up last night and trashed the place," Angelo explained. "Now I have to try and find my insurance documents. I've got to cover the cost somehow. Maybe they're in the bedroom." Blake looked over at Sophie, who stood with an extremely annoyed expression on her face.

"Are you okay?" He asked, walking over to her.

"I'm going to kill them," Sophie said shaking her head. The river boys in Summer Bay, still causing trouble. "Just wait until I get my hands on them."

"Soph-"

"No, I'm serious," Sophie continued. "If I see them hanging around here, they'll wish they migrated to Queensland." She turned and stormed into the bedroom. Blake stood in the living room and sighed.

"Love you, too."

* * *

Sophie had managed to calm down during her gym session. She still couldn't believe it. The last time she saw her brothers was nearly three years ago. She was eighteen, had just done her HSC, when she found out all the dodging dealing Heath and Brax were up to. The drugs, the money laundering. They'd been lying to her for years. Sophie and Brax had a huge argument and she packed her bags. She left in the morning, not before saying goodbye to her mum and little brother, Casey. She also didn't leave without telling Brax that she wanted nothing more to do you them. She said she never wanted to hear from him or Heath ever again. She called home a couple of weeks later to tell her mum that she was safe in the city and that was the last they heard from her.

Sophie was craving coffee now. As she walked into the diner, their topic of conversation caught her ears.

"It's disgraceful that a small, peaceful town like this couldn't be left at peace," Colleen cawed.

"Is this about Angelo's?" Sophie asked, approach Colleen, Roo and Leah. Irene's dark hair was visible in the kitchen. "He told me there's a lot of damage. He was looking for his insurance details."

"It was getting pretty heated when we left," Leah explained.

"What exactly happened?" Sophie asked, leaning on the counter.

"Angelo asked one of the River Boys to leave, that Heath Braxton," Roo told her. Sophie rolled her eyes and shook her head. Of course it was Heath. "Then he kicked off and a riot broke out."

"I'm telling you, this is only the beginning." Colleen continued to screech. "There will be a lot more people injured than just poor Miles. I'm willing to bet my life on it."

"Wait, Miles was hurt?" Sophie asked, a little taken a back by this new information. This stirred new feeling of annoyance and fury in her.

"Yeah, did Angelo not tell you?" Leah asked her. Leah peered over Sophie's shoulder and saw a tall blonde standing behind her. "Oh, Romeo, how's Miles?" Sophie turned around to hear what he had to say too.

"Fine. It's just a concussion and a few cuts," Romeo answered.

"What happened to him?"

"One of the River Boys hit him over the head a bottle," Romeo told her. "I have a feeling it's Heath. Him and his brother were trying to hassle me into getting Miles to drop the charges."

"They're in the bay?" Sophie asked, her eyebrows raising up high.

"Yeah, they were down at the beach like ten minutes ago." Before he could finish his sentence, Sophie had stormed off out of the diner.

* * *

Sophie made her way down quickly to the beach and the sight of three men standing at the entrance to the beach became clearer and clearer. It was definitely her brothers. All three of them. Sophie never had anything against Casey. He never done anything wrong. But, since she left, Sophie had always feared that it was only a matter of time before he got involved too. However, the way Brax cared for her and Casey growing up and the emphasis he put on the education and getting out of Mangrove River, it was unlikely he'd let him. As she got closer to them, Brax turned his head to see who it was. A shocked expression washed over his face at the sight of his little sister. Heath and Casey both looked equally as stunned by her. It had been almost three years of almost no word from her. They had assumed she had stayed in the city. Not that she was living twenty minutes away from them.

"What are you doing here?" Sophie asked, stopping about six feet from them and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I could ask you the same question, sis," Brax replied.

"Don't call me that." Sophie shook her head. "What are you doing here?"

"Seeing the sights," Heath said, unfazed by her fury. "Catching a few waves. There's a better surf here than at Wilson's."

"Causing the trouble more like it," Sophie stood strong before them. "I heard what you did at Angelo's. You trashed the place. You realise that until the place is cleaned, I am out of work now. You can't exactly run a restaurant with no windows."

"We didn't break any windows," Brax told her, hopping down. He faltered closer to her.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you did," Sophie said, holding his stare. "You're an expert at lying."

"Casey, go to school," Brax told him. Casey jumped down, confused.

"Brax-"

"I said, go Casey!" he told him again. Casey admitted defeat and walked past his brother. Sophie turned her stare at him and smiled at him. She mouthed a polite 'Hi,' to him as he passed.

"Still getting the kids out of the way so you could talk 'business'?" Sophie chuckled. "Stay away from here, Brax."

"What?"

"I mean it," Sophie continued. "I'm happy here. I have a life here. I have a job, a place to live, a husband. I don't need the River Boys screwing that up. I don't want to see any of you around Summer Bay again."

"Any problems here?" Blake voice sounded from behind her. She turned around to see her husband strutting his way down the sand.

"Come to arrest me, pig?" Heath questioned, with a smirk on his face.

"Shut up, Heath," Sophie told him.

"Are you okay?" Blake asked her. Sophie looked up at him and then back to her brothers, before nodded.

"Yeah I'm fine," Sophie smiled. "Let's go get coffee, babe. I'll meet you up there."

"Okay," Blake agreed, kissing his wife.

"You married a copper?" Brax asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"What's it to you?" Sophie asked, rhetorically. "I don't have to tell you what goes on in my life anymore. But, just stay out of it from now on, Brax." Sophie turned on her heel and followed after her husband.


End file.
